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1 November 2014

Zizi Cosmic cock ring

Last week Jay from Esmale got in touch and asked if I'd like to review one of the new Zizi Cosmic cock rings. Zizi is the sister brand of Keep Burning, the European company that makes those silicone dildos I'm rather fond of, so I was keen to check out what their cock ring offerings would be like.

Grab the review after the jump.

I'm probably not the biggest cock ring aficionado in the world; you're not likely to spot me walking around with a band of solid steel encircling the base of my genitals, but I do like cock rings which are a bit of fun, such as the Oxballs Cocksling/Nuttsling, and the Perfect Fit Cock Armour. The Zizi range is very much in this same vein, which is why I was happy to take on the task of reviewing a piece from it, and give my penis the chance to play dress up again.

The Cosmic is a two-part cock ring bundled up into one tidy little package and shaped like a lucky red figure eight, or even an infinity symbol if you turn it on its side and imagine what it might do for your erections. The rather simple premise is that the penis goes through one hole, and the testicles the other, giving two simultaneous points of contact for those who prefer to leave no part neglected.

Unlike the Keep Burning line of dildos which is made from 100% silicone, the Zizi range is made from TPR, and as cock rings are only worn externally this is a perfectly acceptable choice for anyone who might be concerned about material safety. The TPR is incredibly stretchy material, which is what makes it so suited for this application, and to illustrate that point I could probably expand it wide enough to fit the lower half of my leg through, despite it having an internal diameter of only 1" at rest. Unlike many TPRs that I've encountered the Zizi lacks any discernible odour, which is a nice feature as sometimes it can be necessary to air these toys out for a while should your olfactory system be sensitive. The build quality of the Zizi is also impressive, and up the standard that I've come to expect from Keep Burning, though it does have one tell tale injection moulding mark hidden inside one of the rings, like a navel that all TPR products bear when they emerge from the factory.

The Cosmic is very easily to put on, in part because of how stretchy it is, but also because it only has two holes to worry about it's far less fiddly than the Oxballs toys I've tried. It doesn't really matter whether you're erect or flaccid when you first put on the Cosmic, though it might affect the order in which you do things. With an erection it's necessary to place one ring over the penis first, then stretch out the other to pull it over the testicles, whereas if you're still in a flaccid state you can expand one ring and drop the testicles through it, before folding the penis down and slipping it through the other hole.

The Cosmic gives a comfortable fit whilst being worn, and you can feel it gently gripping around the base of the penis, though the impact is far less on the testicles. The scrotum hangs quite easily through the space in the ring, not experiencing much pressure against it at all. Compared to Oxballs products this particular design lacks a couple of things that I've come accustomed to, with the first being that snug fit you get from having an extra hole. Having separate rings for the penis and testicles, and not one that goes around both as well, means it lacks that comforting squeeze up against the perineum. The other thing is the way in which the testicles hang through the ring. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but the Cocksling and Nuttsling both stretch the testicles away from the body to varying degrees, whereas with the Cosmic the testicles are largely free to dangle there unperturbed. For me it's a product that feels nice on the whole, yet less enjoyable than others I've tried because of those absences. I feel more undressed in the Cosmic because the Cocksling is more like a piece of structured clothing and I can't help but compare the two, but for anyone who isn't too keen on the idea of any degree of ball stretching the Cosmic could actually be the perfect compromise.

In terms of the Cosmic actually doing its job as a cock ring, i.e. helping to retain blood in the penis, it performs this as well as you might hope for. The thick band of TPR squeezes the shaft enough for a few surface veins to pop out, thus restricting the flow of blood exiting the penis, but at no point does it feel too tight or uncomfortable. One advantage that the Cosmic does have over the Oxballs toys is that it's less deep than the Cocksling, so you have more usable length in the shaft whilst it's being worn, which is a plus for any shorter guys worried about how much of their penis will be sacrificed inside the toy.

Removing the Cosmic once you're finished with it also mirrors the ease with which it's put on, because again it's not especially fiddly, and having only the two holes to worry about helps. Just beware that if you do have pubic hair it will get caught and tugged at as you try to slip your fingers through the rings to expand them again.

My bottom line with the Zizi Cosmic is that I prefer it less than other products I own in terms of how it feels. It is very much a personal preference though, and while I would be more inclined to recommend the Oxballs Cocksling to most people, the Cosmic isn't without its upsides. It's nice well made product from a good company, it's much easier to put on than other products - especially if you have any dexterity problems - and it doesn't take up too much space on the base of the shaft if you're concerned about size issues. If all of its features sound like something that would work for you, then it's definitely worthy of my recommendation.

Thanks to Esmale for sending me one to review, and you can buy it from them now in their gay sex toys sale where there's 20% off everything.

Remember, get an extra 10% off any order by using the code 'INCEND10' at the checkout.